The day of Erròn’s diagnosis, he zoned out as he was going about his daily activities.

“I remember waking up,” he said. “Then I was suddenly at my desk with a bowl of cereal. I don’t remember how I got there.”

It was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Erròn worried that his memory lapses were caused by the virus. He asked his friend to take him to the emergency room to get tested.

“They confirmed I didn’t have COVID-19 and admitted me immediately,” he said. “My blood pressure was dangerously high. He told me that my kidneys were failing. I had no idea what he meant. It felt like they were speaking a different language.”

Erròn’s healthcare team worked quickly to start him on emergency dialysis. “As they put an emergency catheter in my neck to start me on hemodialysis, people were screaming in other rooms, dying of COVID-19,” he said. “Four days later, I was discharged and started in-center hemodialysis,” he said. “It was that abrupt. One minute, I thought I was healthy, the next, I’m in a dialysis chair.”

Soon after starting dialysis, Erròn began the process of getting on the kidney transplant waitlist.But it wasn’t simple, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, hospitals were overwhelmed, and many transplant programs were delayed.

“Even under normal circumstances, the wait could be long for me because of my blood type,” Erròn said. “I moved from LA to my hometown, Kansas City, Missouri, to improve my chances on the waitlist.”

Since Erròn’s hometown has a smaller population, his time on the waitlist would be shorter than a larger area like LA. Unfortunately, the wait time was still five years. That’s when Erròn

took action. He researched how to share his story, created social media posts, and began posting.

“The dialysis chair became my office,” he said. “I did everything I could to save my life.”

Part of that was reaching out to his friends.

“Zendaya is my good friend. We worked together on the TV show K.C. Undercover. Now she’s like a little sister,” Erròn said. “She shared my story on her social media, and the impact was immediate.”

More friends with a presence, including Cedric the Entertainer, Lena Waithe, and Yvette Nicole Brown, also stepped up to share his story. Within 24 hours, Erròn’s transplant center received 97 calls from people interested in starting the kidney donor evaluation.

“My dialysis nurse asked who I was. I explained I’m an actor from LA,” he said. “I know just how fortunate I am to have the connections I do.”

Soon after, Amy, a childhood friend whom he hadn’t spoken to in fifteen years, saw his story and stepped forward to donate. She was a great match, but unfortunately her kidney ended up being too small for Erròn.

But Amy was not deterred. She took part in a paired kidney exchange, which allows people to receive a transplant even if their living donor isn’t a match. Instead, donors switch recipients so each person gets a compatible kidney.

“In July 2021, after about a year and a half on dialysis, I received a kidney transplant from an unknown donor,” Erròn said. “Amy’s gift also kicked off a kidney chain that saved not only my life but two others.”

While Erròn doesn’t know who exactly saved his life, they, along with Amy, have his eternal gratitude.

During his donor search, Erròn also connected with Erin and Brianna, founders of Team Be More, a nonprofit that helps people find living kidney donors by sharing their stories. He is now involved with them to encourage more people, especially Black men, to consider living kidney donation.

“I learned that Black men donate the lowest number of kidneys. I want to help change that,” Erròn said. “But this campaign isn’t about pressure. It’s about education, compassion, and giving people the facts so they can decide if donation is right for them.”